Practical Mythology
by Stratagemini
Summary: When Ami Mizuno became Sailor Mercury her life changed. And it was all because of a Voice in her head calling itself Ranma Saotome. A story of gods and men, and of the trials that make the difference between the two. Combines Sailor Moon and Roman Myth.


Practical Mythology

Episode 1: In Thee

I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey. Come now, follow me, it's perfectly safe. Journeys are my specialty after all, I won't lead you astray. This journey starts, as most journeys do, with an unassuming teenager who only wanted a normal life, and it ends, as journeys are also apt to do, with the best laid plans of gods and men going irrevocably awry. Although perhaps more literally this time than most. This journey is not short, not in any sense of the word, but by it's end it will shake the pillars of heaven to their very foundations and reshape the earth irrevocably. This journey starts, with a girl named Ami Mizuno.

When I first saw Ami Mizuno, she was a normal girl, this was before she became Sailor Mercury you see. It's true that she was the top of her class in everything, it's also true that she had no friends, and no free time due to her attendance at the after-school cram school known as "The Crystal Academy". Of course all that changed that one fateful afternoon on September 10th, Ami's birthday. That, was when her journey began.

This story does not begin as one would expect, with a girl named Usagi Tsukino's attempts to befriend Ami and her eventual discovery that Ami Mizuno was a able to become a Sailor Senshi, nor does it begin with Ami's acceptance of her transformation bracelet from a talking black cat after hanging onto Usagi Tsukino's hand for dear life to stop from falling three stories to her doom. No, it does not begin there although those are both points leading up to the start of her journey. No, the story of Ami Mizuno begins, with the appearance of a voice.

But I seem to be getting ahead of myself. Lets go back to before the beginning, to just before that fateful day when everything changed for Ami Mizuno, before she had ever heard of Sailor Moon, before she was ever visited by gods, and before she had ever heard of Ranma Saotome. Let's go back to the day before her journey began, the day before she first heard the voice.

* * *

On the day before her fourteenth birthday, Ami Mizuno was standing in front of the board displaying the class rankings for the last test. There wasn't really anything interesting about the rankings, she had gotten the number one spot, but she had held that spot for the entire second year of junior high school so far, so she wasn't all that excited.

Ami Mizuno stood up straight staring at the board as if it had the answers to her problems. Her long black hair draped down loose past her shoulders and was pushed back behind her ears to keep it out of her eyes. She wore a small pair of wire frame glasses and a white sailor fuku uniform with a dark blue knee length skirt. She wasn't the the typical image of a nerd, but she came close.

As Ami Mizuno stood in front of the rankings board, she over heard Usagi Tsukino and Naru Osaka talk about her like she wasn't right next to them.

"You don't know about Ami Mizuno?" Naru asked the puzzled form of Usagi Tsukino. "She's a genius. They say she has an IQ of 300, and that she could easily pass the college exams. She's only in junior high because she enjoys watching the rest of us look like idiots. She's a snob you know, never wants to help anyone study, she only wants to see them fail."

Ami frowned as she heard Naru insult her, the girl knew she was standing right next to her didn't they? Ami was used to it by now, people were always talking about her as if she wasn't there. People who insulted her the day before would come up to her and ask her to help them study, was it any wonder she refused to help them? Ami was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she almost missed Usagi's response.

"She doesn't look like a snob, she seems nice." Ami was shocked at the response, "she seems nice." No one had ever said that about her before, at least not behind her back anyway. Perhaps there was something about Tsukino-san that was different?

It wasn't long after Usagi's statement until two nameless girls started to bother Ami Mizuno, asking her about studying with them on tests. Ami wasn't naive, she knew exactly what the two girls wanted, they didn't want her, they wanted to use her. She had heard them the day before talking about her in the same way that Naru talked about her. There was nothing Ami Mizuno wanted to say to them, so she left to enter the classroom and prepare for a day of learning.

That was when Usagi Tsukino first noticed Ami Mizuno. That moment was the first breeze of a coming tornado of change that would blow through Ami Mizuno's life and leave nothing the same as before.

* * *

"She doesn't seem like a snob." Usagi Tsukino said to herself halfway through English class. Ami Mizuno was sitting quietly doing the problems assigned for later that night, in the workbook and taking notes as Haruna Sakurada-sensei lectured the class on the use of pronouns in the English language.

"English uses several different pronouns; he, she, and it, are all examples of this." Sakurada-sensei lectured to the class, "But sometimes English can also use adjective noun phrases like 'the fast runner' to replace a name like Mishima Yahiko." Sakurada-sensei turned around to write on the board while Usagi continued thinking about Ami Mizuno. After all, it wasn't like she'd ever need to know English anyway was it?

"Usagi! Have you heard anything I've said?" Usagi looked up into the upset face of Haruna Sakurada, the teacher was standing less than two feet away from the young girl and for the life of her Usagi couldn't remember anything she had just said.

"Uh, Yes! Mishima Yahiko was a runner!" Usagi quickly blurted out, panic clearly written on her face.

"While your grasp of history is admirable Tsukino-san, that was not the point of this lesson. This is English, not history class. Do you remember anything else?" Sakurada-sensei was not at all amused.

Usagi hung her head abashed and muttered out her answer. "Er. No Sakurada-sensei, I can't. I'm sorry."

"Very well then Tsukino-san, Go stand in the hall. Perhaps that will teach you not to day dream in class?"

With a depressed sigh Usagi Tsukino walked out of the classroom to stand in the hall. She hoped her mother didn't hear about this, if she did Usagi would be in quite a bit of trouble when she arrived home later that day.

Still, despite her punishment, the odango headed girl was intrigued by Ami Mizuno. Perhaps she could talk to her later? Maybe they could even become friends?

Nodding to herself Usagi Smiled, completely ignoring the lesson going on inside the classroom, after all, a new friend was so much more important than getting good grades, wasn't it?

* * *

For Ami Mizuno, lunchtime arrived like a stampede of angry elephants. The classroom around her exploded into bedlam as students began to push their desks together to form tables to eat with their friends.

Ami was used to the chaos by now, it happened every day, and every day Ami left the classroom to escape it. Ami Mizuno was the sort of person who enjoyed a quite lunch by herself, taking advantage of the free time between classes to read a bit more.

The young genius frowned at the noise in the classroom, placed her book down, grabbed her bento lunch box that she had cooked before coming to school and headed out to eat on the roof, alone. The hallways weren't as crowded as they might have been in summer, with the first stirrings of the autumn winds in the air very few students wanted to go outside to eat, so it was with very little trouble that Ami Mizuno arrived alone on the rooftop of the school.

Unbeknownst to the young genius, as she left the class room, she was followed by someone. A small black cat trailed Ami Mizuno as she climbed the stairs to the roof, slipping from shadow to shadow as it stealthily padded after her. The crescent shaped bald spot on the black cat's head glowed with power as it exited the slightly ajar rooftop door, startling the old cat.

Luna paused in her tracking of Ami Mizuno to try and figure out what gave off the strange energy she had reacted to. Inexorably Luna's feline eyes were drawn to the seated form of the girl she was tracking. Ami Mizuno sat on a cold cement block, eating crustless sandwiches on the edge of the fenced in roof, enduring the first cool breezes of autumn as they blew through her straight black hair.

Luna walked out of her hiding place half inside the ajar door and padded onto the roof. She looked at Ami, as if trying to assess something, striving hard to stay unnoticed. "I'm still getting a response?" The cat asked herself as she realized what the energy she had reacted to was. "This could be the second Senshi. I'll have to keep a close eye on her. I should tell Usagi, she can help me."

* * *

Naru Osaka was never the brightest girl in the world, nor was she the dumbest, she prided herself on being normal, and she liked the fact that her friends were normal too. It wasn't that she hated Ami Mizuno (though she certainly was a bit jealous of the young genius' intellect), that wasn't why Naru mocked her. No, Naru spread the rumor about Ami Mizuno because that was what normal girls did, they gossiped, and they didn't give a second thought to the fact that the rumors might be hurtful. After all, it wasn't like Naru had ever been a victim of rumor herself, as a normal girl she was simply below notice.

So, when Ami Mizuno left the classroom to take her lunch on the roof, Naru didn't give a second thought to the idea that perhaps Ami found normal socialization difficult, or that Ami might have found the rumors hurtful. Instead, Naru took it as a confirmation of Ami Mizuno's snobbish nature, she obviously felt she was too good to socialize with the rest of the class, after all there couldn't be any other reason could there?

* * *

Luna followed Ami for the rest of classes, looking for a chance to get closer to the young genius and examine her properly. Unfortunately for the intrepid feline detective, no opportunity presented itself until after school had ended and Ami had left to attend her cram school. Luna quickly followed the girl after urging Usagi to do the same, and raced after the young genius intent on catching up to her and getting in close contact to read her better and determine if indeed she was the second Sailor Senshi.

Usagi, urged by Luna to follow the young girl, left shortly after Ami, walking within seeing distance of her while Luna padded along almost a foot behind her. At some unknown clue, Luna raced ahead and began rubbing at Ami's bare legs.

"Oh?" said Ami looking down at the mass of silky black fur rubbing against her left leg, "What a beautiful cat. Are you lost? Are you waiting for your owner?" Ami bent down to pick Luna up in her arms, cradling the moon cat as if it were a baby. "You're such a pretty pussycat." Ami smiled as she cooed at Luna, "I bet whoever is in charge of you is very lucky." Usagi smiled at Ami's behavior, and decided to run up and greet the young girl for the first time.

"Hello Mizuno-San! That's Luna, she got away from me when we were walking. You know, she seems to like you." Usagi smiled widely and continued talking in an attempt to get to know the young girl. "Luna's a good judge of character. You must be a good person to have her run up to you and ask you to pet her like that. I'm Usagi Tsukino, but you can call me Usagi!"

Ami looked confusedly at the strange girl with odangos in her hair, was this girl trying to be nice to her in order to get her to study with her? Ami had never had someone act kindly to her without an ulterior motive before. And it seemed strange that Usagi Tsukino would not only talk to her but also take the time to learn her name, if she didn't want something from her. So after placing Luna on the ground, Ami Mizuno did the one thing she could think of that would allow her to get out of this uncomfortable situation, she made an excuse and tried to leave.

"I'm sorry Tsukino-san, but I cannot speak now, I have to get to cram school. It was pleasant talking to you." the young genius said to the black haired odango headed girl as she turned around to leave.

"You go to crystal academy cram school right? I'll walk with you, that's right next to the Crown Karaoke palace. It's on the way." And so it was that Ami was buffeted by the first of many winds of change on her journey but the biggest wind was yet to come, and it would trigger a tornado of change in her once peaceful high school life.

* * *

The god of pathways sat on a small stool as he looked through the viewing portal to earth with his long time friend Venus. He smirked and let out a soft laugh as he watched Ami Mizuno meet Usagi Tsukino for the first time, it wasn't the best meeting he had ever seen, but it was better than many he had witnessed.

The young god was clothed in very little as he sat on the backless chair watching the earth from his chambers on mount Olympus. His bright unnaturally blue hair peeked out from under a simple wide brimmed hat and a pair of Golden winged sandals protected his feet from the cold marble floor of his chambers. He wore a light blue traveler's cloak about his shoulders with a white tunic underneath it, and a pair of blue jeans to complete the outfit. A leather messenger's bag rested on the marble floor by his side next to the Caduceus, his ceremonial staff.

Reclining on his couch was a naked blond woman of such beauty that she could easily be said to be the essence of sexuality given form. She was Venus oft times called Aphrodite, and she had come to the chambers of Mercury with a question. "So? What are you up to now? You've been watching that girl all day. Have you taken up voyeurism Hermes? Because you know, I don't mind if you watch."

Mercury smiled broadly and laughed at the goddess' innuendo before turning from the viewing portal. "No Venus, I haven't taken up a life of lechery and perversion. Though I will admit that she is pleasant on the eyes, I do have a valid reason for watching the girl. Ami Mizuno is going to become my avatar very soon, and I have to keep watch for the right time to bestow upon her my... well I guess you can call it a gift if you were so inclined."

Venus gasped in shock. "Did I hear right? You're empowering an avatar? Why? You've had thousands of years to do so. You haven't had an avatar since the end of the Silver Age of Man. Why now?" Venus stared at Mercury intently, asking with her eyes for him to answer her.

Mercury smirked knowingly, one eyebrow cocked upwards in a questioning grin. "I can't very well let you be the only god with an avatar can I? Besides, there's something different about this girl, she has..." Mercury paused, searching for the word he wanted, "Potential. Yes, that's it, potential."

Venus looked at Mercury incredulously, "Her? Sure she's smart, but that's it. She's a stick in the mud, she's hardly the type you make your avatars out of. She's intelligent, not clever. Why would you pick her?" Mercury's smirk turned into an all out grin. "You have something up your sleeve don't you Mercury? You're planning something!"

Mercury snorted and leaned back, clasping his hands and stretching them over his head. "I guess you could say that I have something up my sleeve, so to speak. I recently received something very interesting. Some might even call it absolutely priceless."

Venus looked confused as she heard what Mercury said. "Something priceless? Who would be enough of a fool to give a rogue like you something of value? What did you steal this time?"

"My dear Venus, You wound me with your words." At this Mercury let off a low chuckle. "What I was given, and it was given freely no less, was nothing less than a human soul, and you know as well as I do that those cannot be stolen."

Venus whistled in disbelief. Then, leaning forward to display her impressive cleavage she spoke. "A soul! A human Soul! How Marvelous! How in Tartarus did you get your hands on one? Who would be foolish enough to give up their soul? You need to tell me, there's no way I can resist hearing this."

Mercury let a wide grin adorn his face, "You remember a couple of years back when I got a sacrifice?" Venus nodded remembering the event that had shaken up Olympus more than any in the past 20 years. "Well," Mercury continued, "The man who gave me the sacrifice invoked an age old ritual for requesting a boon of the god of thieves. He wished for the inspiration to create two schools of martial arts thievery, and I granted his boon. In return he offered me his last born child. And just the other week, the man died, leaving behind only one child. A child whom he had offered to me. The soul is that child's soul. Taken at the moment of his father's death."

Venus was astounded, usually that ritual was completed using something simple, a burnt sacrificial offering, or a monetary donation, but the soul of one's own child? Truly the man who Hermes had given inspiration to was scum even amongst mortals. "I see," Venus could think of several things she would do with a human soul, but none of them fit her impressions of Mercury. He would have something truly spectacular planned, of that there was no doubt. "and what do you plan to do with that soul?" Venus asked intrigued.

Mercury smiled deeply and turned back to the viewing portal, "Now that... is a secret."

* * *

Ami was confused as she reached the doors of the Crystal Academy, who was Usagi Tsukino really? The girl obviously wanted something from her, they always did, but she hadn't yet told Ami what it was she wanted. And then there was that strange interaction outside the music shop near the Crown. Usagi, still followed by her cat, and wasn't that strange by itself? Had seen her looking on at the shop selling Minako Aino's second album "Venus". The shop was sold out, as all the shops had been for the entire week so far, and Usagi had noticed her sad expression.

"Do you have Minako's second album yet?" The strange meatball headed girl asked her. As if the album was readily available at any store. Ami shook her head no, and Usagi pulled out a copy in a bootleg case giving it to her. "You can have this copy then, I have the original at home, is that okay, Ami-chan?" Ami-chan? The girl had hardly spoken to her for two hours and now she was calling her Ami-chan? As if they were childhood friends. Whatever the girl wanted from her it was certainly going to be big.

"You can call me Usagi. Let's have lunch together sometime!" 'Usagi', thought Ami, 'no, that is far to familiar. I must continue calling her Tsukino-san I would not wish to be rude. But maybe, perhaps in time, we can become friends. After I find out what she wants that is.'

"Mizuno-san! Mizuno-San!" Her cram school teacher called out to her before rushing up the elevator to talk to the young genius. "I heard that you achieved a perfect score on your test again." At this Ami nodded slightly, a bit embarrassed to be singled out like this. "I don't know why you stay in that middle school, with your scores you could take the University exams easily."

Ami smiled a sad smile, why stay in middle school? There were so many reasons, but above all was the constant hope that she might one day find a friend. But she couldn't tell her teacher that! Ami quickly thought of a credible excuse. "It would do no good Sensei, no medical staff would let someone as young as I am become a doctor."

The teacher looked intrigued at this. "You want to become a doctor Mizuno-san? Like your mother?" Ami paused and thought. "I want to make my mother happy. She wants me to become a Doctor." The teacher became contemplative at this and after telling Ami Mizuno that she hoped she achieved that dream walked away to think about what Ami had just told her.

* * *

That night while Ami studied listening to the music of Aino Minako, and Luna told Usagi that Ami was probably another Senshi, Jadeite was at the Crystal Academy campus. The Blond haired member of the Shitennou wore his typical dark blue uniform with it's cape covering his left side. Jadeite wasn't exactly in a happy mood, not after that Sailor Senshi ruined his last energy gathering expedition at that jewelery show, but neither was the Shitennou member particularly glum. If anything the blond general was determined, Queen Beryl had scolded him for his failure, but he would not fail again.

Jadeite strolled up the escalator in search of a perfect place to make his youma, and perhaps the perfect person to have it possess. "Perfect." Jadeite thought to himself as he spied the same cram school teacher that Ami had conversed with earlier. "She'll do quite well." Jadeite summoned a bit of Metallia's dark power to his hand and created a hunk of the stone that he took his name from. A block of solid jadeite appeared in his hands, it was tinted black and seemed to suck away the light surrounding it. Jadeite walked quickly towards the teacher and, catching her just as she was about to leave the building, pushed the hunk of jadeite crystal into her back from behind.

The teacher collapsed to the floor for a few seconds, her limbs flailing wildly as she attempted in vain to fight off the youma that was beginning to posses her. Then, as quickly as she collapsed, the teacher stood rigidly at attention and, bowing to the dark general reversed her path and headed back inside the academy building. 'Yes,' Jadeite thought to himself, 'everything is going exactly according to plan'.

* * *

Only one thought ran through Usagi's mind as she ran to school to avoid being late for class. 'Ami-chan could be a Senshi! I have to tell her!' By the time she encountered Ami, Usagi's head was filled with daydreams of how great it would be if she and Ami could fight youma together and search for the princess. It is somewhat understandable then why Ami's reaction to this news would be so different from what she had expected.

Ami Mizuno had packed a special lunch for that day. Excited by what might possibly be her first real friend in the form of Usagi Tsukino, Ami had filled her bento was filled with double the amount of food she normally ate and threw in quite a few mochi rice cakes to share with her potential friend at lunch that day. After all, it was only polite to thank a person who has given you a gift wasn't it? As she arrived at school, everything was looking up for Ami Mizuno, so of course it was then that Usagi Tsukino decided to reveal to her the news that she had been waiting to tell Ami all night.

"What? You expect me to believe that I am a Sailor Senshi?" Ami asked incredulously of the the odango haired girl.

Usagi was unfazed by Ami's reaction "Of course!" The girl said nodding her head happily, "And since we're both Senshi we can fight youma together! Like I said, Luna has a transformation item and you use it and 'Poof!' you become a Sailor Senshi!" Usagi accented her speech with wild hand motions, pantomiming an explosion as she said the word 'Poof'. It was obvious to Ami that Usagi was quite possibly clinically insane.

Ami was silent, as she realized what Usagi was saying. "I see Tsukino-san. So, that's why you wanted to be friends with me. Because you think that I am a Sailor Senshi." Ami's eyes turned sad as she thought to herself 'I should have known. No one would attempt to be my friend if they did not want something from me. It seems Tsukino-san is no different, even if she is a bit more unstable than most.' Ami tightened her grip on the Bento box she had brought to share with Usagi and turned away from the cheerful girl. "I'm sorry, but I do not want to be a Senshi Tsukino-san. I am too busy with my studies, perhaps we will meet again sometime." And with that Ami turned and ran up the stairs to class, and away from the stunned face of Usagi Tuskino.

* * *

The day passed quickly for Ami, it wasn't the first time that she had realized that a new friend only wanted to use her for something, and regrettably it probably would not be the last. So when lunch time came around once again, Ami quickly grabbed her bento and a book, and left for the roof, avoiding even eye contact with Usagi Tsukino as she passed her by on the way to the classroom door.

'Why does it still hurt so much?' Ami wondered to herself. 'I know that no one would want to be my friend without something in return. This has happened dozens of times before, so why was this time different? Why didn't I just walk away after her cat approached me? And what is a Sailor Soldier anyway? She seemed to think that we were both some sort of superheroes like Sailor V, and that her cat talked. Maybe Tsukino-san is mentally ill? Either way, it is probably best to stay away from her.' Ami looked at the Minako Aino album that the young girl gave her. 'Still, I can't help but wish that Tsukino-san had actually wanted to be my friend.'

Ami set the extra food in her bento to the side and began to eat. Perhaps it wasn't a total loss, she could eat the rest of the food after cram school. And the new Minako Aino album that Tsukino-san had given her would be perfect to help her study while in her cram school class. Things weren't perfect, but really, she wasn't any worse off than she had been yesterday, perhaps when she became a doctor things would be better.

* * *

Usagi was confused as she sat in her room at home. She had thought Ami wanted to be her friend, and wouldn't anyone jump at the chance to fight evil beside their friends? It was something Usagi had dreamed of doing ever since she had first head of Sailor V on the news. But when Usagi told Ami that she was a Senshi the young genius' demeanor completely changed. It was almost as if she believed that Usagi was a horrible person. This was a new feeling for Usagi, when Ami looked at her with those sad disappointed eyes she felt as if she were the most horrible person in the world, as if she had betrayed Ami on the most fundamental level. It wasn't a nice feeling, and Usagi would do anything to make it go away.

And then there was Luna. Really, what right did the cat have to demand that Ami become a Senshi if Ami didn't want to fight? There was no way that Usagi was going to force her, and she wouldn't allow Luna to do so either.

"Usagi!" a knock came from Usagi's door as she tried to figure out what had gone wrong with Ami. "Usagi are you in there?" Usagi perked up, her mother was calling her. "Yes mom, I'm here! What is it?"

"Usagi," Ikuko Tsukino spoke gently but firmly to her daughter, exactly how she had read to do in that magazine on rebellious teenagers last month. "I'm very disappointed with your test scores. I know you can do much better if you just apply yourself! So I signed you up for cram school, you start today. Here's a map to get there. You need to go now if you're going to get there in time.

The magazine had talked about the carrot and the stick. First display a punishment, then a reward. Well, Ikuko sighed, it was time for the Stick. "I won't be happy at all if you skip this Usagi. I'll have to take away your phone privileges."

Now for the Carrot. "However, If you study really well and get a 100 on your next test I'll buy you that Sailor V Karaoke setup you wanted, okay?"

Usagi nodded at her mother a bit embarrassed, she knew her test scores were bad, but to take away her phone? Ikuko saw Usagi's embarrassed nod and smiled. "Now go! Or else you'll miss your class!"

There really wasn't anything to say, Usagi grabbed the map and ran. A brief glance revealed that her cram school was near the Crystal Academy where Ami studied. Perhaps she could talk to Ami when she got there? Even if Ami didn't want to be a Senshi, Usagi hoped that the young genius would at least be her friend. And maybe Ami could help her study? It would be nice to be able to sing Karaoke with her family, the Crown Karaoke and Arcade Palace was nice and all, but she couldn't really bring anyone who wasn't a Senshi into what Luna had called their "Base of Operations", and singing Karaoke by herself wasn't any fun.

* * *

It had all happened so quickly, like an episode out of the twilight zone, one second the teacher was speaking normally and everyone was paying attention, and the next all the students were slumped on their desks as if someone had knocked them all unconscious. Ami had started listening to the album that Usagi had given her during class once the teacher assigned the problems in the workbook. So when the youma possessing Ami's cram school teacher began to use it's voice to drain the students of their energy, only Ami was unaffected. Because the sweet tones of Minako Aino singing C'est La Vie playing in Ami's ears had prevented her from falling victim to the youma possessed teacher's energy sucking voice.

"Listening to music during class Mizuno-san?" The teacher loomed over Ami at her desk as she snatched the earphones off of Ami's head. Ami's eyes widened as the teacher threw the CD player against the wall breaking it. "You do know that doing that is against the rules, don't you? I'm going to have to punish you, by stealing all your energy." The teacher smiled, it was an unnatural smile showing off a mouth full of dagger sharp teeth. Ami turned and ran out of the class room knowing that the thing inside that room was no longer her teacher, it was something else entirely.

Ami ran as fast as she could into the stairwell of the cram school, the youma hot on her tail as she tried without luck to evade the monster and escape from it's sight. "Why do you run Mizuno-san? Don't you want to help our glorious leader by giving her your energy?" The youma spoke with her teacher's voice, but the sinister tilting laugh that accompanied the monster's question proved to Ami that that thing was no longer her teacher. The stairway down was blocked, crumpled bodies littered the floor preventing Ami from descending, but the youma was still following her, and she had to keep running or else it would catch her.

'If I am unable go down,' Ami thought to herself, 'then the only way left to go is up. I will have to run and hope I can get to the sky bridge on the fifth floor.' Her course determined Ami turned and ran up the stairs with the youma hot on her heels.

* * *

Usagi arrived on the fifth floor sky bridge leading to the Crystal Academy almost 5 minutes after class had already started. Luna berated her as she ran towards the doors of the Crystal academy, running past the slightly familiar figure of Mamoru Chiba without a second thought, Usagi was late, her mother was going to kill her. Or, at the very least suspend her phone privileges, which might in fact be worse.

At that exact moment Ami was racing towards the doors to the sky bridge, the youma possessing her teacher following hot on her heels. Every time Ami looked over her shoulder she could see the creepily grinning monster that was once her teacher. The youma was taking long lengthy strides as it ran after her, it's large legs had hampered it on the body strewn stairwell, but now, in the fifth floor hallway between the stairwell and the doors those same long legs that had slowed it on the stairs were eating up the distance between Ami and the monster much faster than the girl genius could put it between them. The youma was gaining on her.

Usagi ran with Luna in her arms towards the entrance to the cram school building when suddenly the doors sprang open and a terrified Ami Mizuno rushed out of the building slamming into the young odango haired girl and caused them both to fall in a mass to the ground.

Usagi fell on her back with a look of surprise on her face, Ami had fallen upon her in a position that, had she been male would have been rather inappropriate, and between Ami and Usagi lay Luna, squished between the two junior high girls. Luna struggled out from between the two girls and scampered to the side of the bridge where she could avoid any new collisions.

Ami, her body shot through with adrenaline, quickly got to her feet, pulling Usagi to her feet without recognizing the girl. Ami grabbed Usagi's hand and pulled her along as she ran across the sky bridge. "Quickly! We have to get out of here! There is a monster following me that wants to consume my energy! It has already fed off of the entire building. Quickly! Run!"

The youma burst out of the doors a mere five feet from the two girls lending truth to Ami's outrageous claims as she tried unsuccessfully to get Usagi to move down the hallway. Usagi, trying to grab her brooch and transform into Sailor Moon, was hampered by Ami's grasp on her arm. "Ami, let go, I need to transform so I can fight the Youma!"

Ami let go of the girl's hand in shock as she recognized the voice. "Usagi? Is that?" The thought was cut off as the young girl grabbed her heart-shaped transformation necklace and lifted it into the air with a shout.

"Moon Prism Power! Make Up!" Ami gazed on in shock as Usagi's hair suddenly bleached itself blond, the color swept down in a matter of seconds from the roots to the tips changing her appearance dramatically. A pair of golden crescent moon earrings attached themselves to Usagi's ears, and a pair of circular red reflective hair ornaments materialized in front of Usagi's odango hair knots. A circlet of golden metal surrounded her forehead becoming a V-shaped tiara with a large red jewel at the bottom. Usagi's entire body began to glow with a blinding white light, stunning the youma as she transformed. Ribbons of light shot out of the heart shaped Brooch and began wrapping around her feet forming a pair of Knee length hot pink cowboy boots with white trimming. Another pair of ribbons wrapped themselves around her forearms becoming a set of elbow length white gloves, topped with three hot pink bands at the cuffs. The white glow shrank around Usagi becoming a white leotard and a set of matching chest armor with shoulder guards. More ribbons flew out of the brooch, one wrapped itself around the young girl's waist becoming a blue calf length skirt, another two became giant pink bows on the front and back of her chest armor, and the last became a collar of the sailor fuku a dark blue square hanging off Usagi's shoulders with three white bands around the edges. The light receded now as the last piece of the transformation finished, a pink choker with a golden crescent moon had wrapped itself around the young girl's neck, and the heart shaped necklace, now a brooch had settled atop the bow on her chest. Where once had stood Usagi, now there was only Sailor Moon.

Ami stood amazed, when Usagi had spoken to he about becoming a Senshi earlier she had believed that the young girl was insane, perhaps she had been a bit hasty in her judgment, it was now rather obvious that Usagi was indeed some sort of magical girl superhero.

The youma unfortunately was not quite as stunned by Usagi's transformation as Ami. In the twenty or so seconds it had taken Sailor Moon to transform the youma ran up to the young genius and forced her against the railing of the sky bridge. Now, only a flimsy piece of metal stood between Ami and a three story drop onto the cold hard concrete below. The youma concentrated and with a little effort the young genius' ki was pulled into the youma's outstretched hand.

As Sailor Moon stopped spinning she realized that the youma was now out of range for hand to hand combat. The blond Senshi removed her tiara and charged it with energy, the piece of golden metal glowed with a soft white light as it's shape changed into a large golden boomerang with a glowing red gem in the middle. Sailor Moon pulled her arm back and called out "Moon Tiara Boomerang!" before throwing the glowing boomerang at the youma. The boomerang hit with a gigantic flash knocking the youma into Ami and sending them both over the railing from the force of the attack.

Usagi's eyes widened as she realized what she had done. Before the boomerang had returned to her hand, the young blond was running towards the railing hoping that her potential friend was still alive and that she hadn't splattered against the unforgiving ground. Moon reached the railing in record time, bending over it to see if Ami was still alive.

The still form of the youma was already beginning to peel itself off of the concrete, wounded but still able to fight. Ami was nowhere to be seen.

"Usagi! Help me!" the blond realized with a start that Ami was calling to her. She looked around but couldn't see her anywhere. "Where are you Ami? I can't you!" Usagi was racked with guilt and relief at the same time, Ami wasn't dead, she hadn't accidentally killed her, but where was she?

"I'm hanging on the ledge! Please! Quickly! My hand is slipping!" Usagi looked down suddenly, there on the edge of the sky bridge was a single hand struggling to maintain it's purchase. Usagi grabbed Ami's hand in one of hers and held onto the railing with the other. "Hold on! I'll pull you up!"

* * *

The youma was not happy as it looked up to see Sailor Moon pulling Ami up from the side of the ledge. "Mizuno-san, you aren't obeying the rules... Didn't anyone ever tell you? What goes up must come down!" With that the youma drew on it's powers and threw a sheet of deadly sharp paper at the struggling form of Ami Mizuno.

* * *

Ami cried out in pain as the paper sliced into her leg as she pulled herself over the ledge. There was no way she could outrun the youma now, and if a three story drop didn't kill the monster possessing her teacher Ami didn't know if Sailor moon could. The boomerang attack seemed to barely damage the creature.

"You know, you can probably both defeat the youma, if you transform into a Sailor Senshi." that wasn't Usagi's voice, Ami thought to herself, that voice was much too high.

Usagi felt as if she had been hit in the stomach, first she almost got Ami killed and now Luna was trying to get Ami to become a Senshi after the girl had refused. It was too much, Usagi couldn't take it anymore, she shouted back at the talking cat. "No Luna! Ami said she didn't want to become a Senshi! I told you not to try and force her!"

Ami was stunned as she realized who was speaking, it was Usagi's cat. The odango headed girl hadn't lied to her at all, and what was more, the Senshi of the Moon had saved her even though she didn't care if Ami became a Senshi herself. Perhaps she had misjudged Usagi? Perhaps Usagi was genuine in her offer of friendship after all?

There was no way that Ami could outrun the youma in her condition, her only option was to rely on Usagi, who hadn't been able to really hurt the monster. But then there was what the the cat had said, she could become a Senshi, perhaps as a Senshi she could come out of this whole thing alive. Ami considered the offer, it just might be nice to fight alongside a friend for once.

Ami opened her mouth to speak as Usagi berated her cat, she spoke softy, but with a firmness in her voice that made her intent clear, "I'll do it. I'll become a Senshi."

* * *

Luna was stunned, she had thought that Ami would need to be convinced to fight, coerced if need be, but the girl had volunteered even with Usagi defending her right to be a civilian. Best to make her a Senshi quickly, before she has a time to reconsider. "Mizuno-san! Catch!" Luna yelled out as a light shot out of her Crescent mark and headed towards Ami.

Ami stretched out her left arm to catch the light in her palm, causing it tho twirl around her wrist and become a silver charm bracelet with a large blue sapphire set in it. Ami felt the barely restrained power on her wrist, she could hear it whispering words to her, words that would free it from the bracelet, words that would free it to fight. Ami Mizuno then spoke the words that would change her destiny forever, the words that would bring the voice into her life, "Mercury Power, Makeup!"

Ami watched as her body was surrounded by streams of water that flew upwards surrounding her in a double helix. She felt the cool water consume her body and change it. The gash on her leg was healed first, then her back length straight hair became a chin length light blue pageboy cut, and a pair of sapphire stud earrings appeared in her ears. A tiara similar to Sailor Moon's wrapped around her forehead, another sapphire crowning it's middle. Her body was surrounded in a bright white light as her clothing shifted to become a white leotard. Streams of watter shot out from the charm bracelet wrapping around her legs to form a pair of knee high blue cowboy boots with white trimming similar to Sailor Moon's. More water shot out of the bracelet and surrounded her arms becoming a set of white elbow length gloves with three blue bands at the cuffs. The white glow receded becoming a white leotard and matching white chest armor devoid of shoulder guards. Water wrapped around Ami's entire body as the final cosmetic changes began. First a blue skirt wrapped around her waist, then giant bows of a lighter blue than before materialized on Ami's chest and back, finally a collar of the same blue as the boots hung off her shoulders in a square with three white stripes around the edges. The helices of water receded leaving behind an unadorned blue choker around her neck, and a large blue sapphire where in the center of her chest bow.

The transformation didn't stop there however, as the last of the water hit the ground and vanished Ami was pulled up in a pillar of blue light, her limbs hyper extended and her eyes wide open as she felt a voice slam into her and fill an unfilled part of her mind. The light faded. Exhausted by the changes wrought upon her, Ami Mizuno collapsed to the ground in a heap.

* * *

Mercury smiled as his plan came to fruition. He was immortal, he had been around before the Silver Age of Man and he was there after it fell, he had learned patience. He was immortal, but he was not unchanging. The blue haired god had been known by many names over the millennia he existed; Mercury the swift, Mercury the messenger, Mercury the thief, Mercury the bringer of dreams, but always he had been Mercury the cunning.

Since the days before the Silver Millennium he had been linked to the planet that bore his name. The planet was once a thriving metropolis, a hub of science, travel, and commerce, but all that had changed when Metallia was unleashed on the Moon Kingdom. The mana pools that allowed habitation on his planet had been shattered, his greatest temple, Mariner Castle, the orbiting home of his Avatar Sailor Mercury, had been defiled and his power had been broken until the Roman Empire. Even now people still worshiped him, but Mercury was far less powerful than he once was, and he alone among the deathless gods realized how he could gain that power back.

His plan had been put into action years ago, far before his current avatar was reincarnated, it had started when he had gained from Genma Saotome the rights to his last born son. Ranma Saotome didn't exist in the same reality as Ami Mizuno, but that hadn't stopped Mercury the traveler from crossing the borders of reality to find him. It was second nature to the god of pathways, and though it used up most of the power he had gained in the Roman Empire, it was a gamble that if it paid off it would net him gains unheard of since the Silver Age of Man.

By the ancient laws each god was allowed to test their avatar to see if they proved worthy of their power, and the cunning god had designed his test like a master craftsman. He had copied Ranma's soul as his test, and then had waited sixteen years until Ami Mizuno accessed his power. When the young girl called out "Mercury Power, Make Up!" he made his move.

* * *

Ranma awoke. It was a sensation unlike any he'd experienced before, but "Awoke" was the closest word describing it. One moment he was sleeping, completely oblivious to the world, and the next he was wide awake and energized. Ranma quickly realized he was lying on the ground in a heap, and stood up. "Ami are you okay?" he heard a blond girl with an odango hairstyle similar to Shampoo's ask him. The girl was dressed in of all things a bizarre armored version of the schoolgirl seifuku uniform. Ranma looked around to see who the girl was talking to, there was no one else on the sky bridge with them. Ranma looked down and realized he was also dressed in some sort of armored sailor fuku, and that the comforting weight of his long braid was gone. "You talkin' to me?" he asked the girl.

"Of course I am Ami! Are you okay? You just collapsed." the blond asked again. Ranma nodded, "Yeah, never felt better." that much was true, Ranma could feel the energy rushing through him like clod spring water, it wasn't ki, that much he was certain of, he didn't seem to have much ki at all anymore, but there was a huge amount of this new energy.

"Great!" the blond exclaimed, "Now we can kill that youma!" Ranma nodded, he knew what Youma were, elemental demons, he had encountered a few after phoenix mountain, they weren't normally harmful, but in the middle of a city they would cause tons of damage and could even kill someone. They almost had once or twice. He didn't like killing on general principal, but without his ki he couldn't just subdue the youma, he'd have to kill it.

Ranma nodded to the strange blond, "Okay, let's do it."

* * *

Luna was concerned, something strange had happened to Ami, she wasn't speaking the same as before, she stood more like a warrior than a young girl, and most upsetting of all was the new fire in her eyes, a fire that had not been there a few seconds ago. Perhaps something went wrong with the transformation? Or maybe, just maybe, Mercury was beginning to remember her past life, perhaps it was subconsciously leaking through? Luna resolved to investigate.

The black cat looked on in awe as Sailor Mercury jumped over the railing with practiced ease landing gracefully in the courtyard where the youma was pacing trying to get a good angle to attack the sky bridge. She saw Sailor Moon gaping in awe as the blue haired Senshi attacked the youma with her bare fists, before Moon shook herself and ran for the stairs down to the courtyard.

* * *

Ranma wasted no time in attacking the youma. As soon as his feet touched the floor he was running forward with a punch to the youma's grinning mouth. The monster's head flew back from the force as the youma stumbled backwards a few steps.

Ranma watched as the youma began to change, where before the youma looked human enough, if you ignored it's grinning mouth full of dagger sharp fangs, now the youma was large and red, her black hair stood straight up like a paper fan, and her shoulders were adorned with spikes.

As soon as the youma stopped changing it attacked, throwing a wave of razor sharp sheets of paper at Ranma. The young man in Sailor Mercury's body ably dodged the strike, leaping over it to land a sharp kick against the youma's forehead.

Ranma dodged back as the youma retaliated swiping at him with it's claws. The martial artist spun around and delivered a devastating roundhouse to the youma's chest knocking it back once again right next to the stairs to the sky bridge.

* * *

Sailor Moon was shocked as the youma came flying to rest at her feet as she finished descending the stairs. "Now! Finish it off!" came the cry from Mercury as the youma began to sit up. "Do it now Dumpling head!" Moon was shocked, Ami had never said anything like that before, she was always so polite. So shocked in fact that she let the youma recover and attack her. "I told you to finish it off, why didn't you?" Mercury called to her as she dodged a swipe of the Youma's claws before jumping off the metal stairwell to reach Sailor Mercury.

"I was shocked! You never talked like that to me before Ami-chan! Can you knock the Youma down again so I can kill it? Please?" Sailor Moon asked the determined form of Sailor Mercury with a cute pout on her lips. "Yeah, I can do it, I'm the best after all." With that the Senshi of Water darted towards the youma again hitting it with an uppercut that launched it off the stairs and back at the Moon Senshi's feet, stunning it.

Sailor Moon summoned her Crystal Moonlight Stick from inside her brooch and leveled it at the offending youma. The crystal crescent moon atop the stick glowed with a silver light as is it charged up to release it's healing energy. With a loud cry of "Moon Healing Escalation!" the energy shot out of the glowing crescent hitting the youma and changing it back into Ami's cram school teacher.

* * *

Tuxedo Kamen watched the two Senshi from atop the covered roof of the sky bridge, above the watchful gaze of Luna. "So," he said to himself, "there are three Sailor Senshi now? Sailor Moon, and Sailor Mercury... Perhaps they know the reason for my dreams? There is something familiar about them both... And that Sailor Venus I encountered last week, how do they all fit together? They all seem so familiar, like I knew them once before..." The Tuxedo-clad man turned and walked away, he would need time to think, things weren't as simple as they had been a few days ago, and there were still those troubling dreams that had plagued him since he first awoke. "The Maboroshi no Ginzuisho, perhaps they might know something about it? I'll have to ask them soon."

* * *

"You know, you don't have to fight if you don't want to Ami, I don't want to force you." Usagi said to the blue haired Senshi as they walked away from the fallen form of the cram school teacher.

Ranma had no idea who the girl was or why she was talking to him about this, but she deserved an honest answer. "It's a martial artist's duty to defend those who cannot defend themselves. I can't abandon my duty." With that said, Ranma turned and walked away from the stunned from of Sailor Moon.

Another voice called out from atop the bridge, Ranma couldn't see who was talking, but he could hear them clearly, "Mizuno-san wait! If what you say is true than you will need this phone so that we can call you! Usagi-chan will tell you more about it at school tomorrow." Ranma turned around as he felt the phone fall towards him, he stretched out his left arm and snatched it out of the air. "Thanks whoever you are! See you tomorrow then." And with that Ranma ran from the courtyard still clad in his protective sailor fuku.

* * *

When Ami Mizuno awoke, she was walking around aimlessly still in her Senshi garb, her sailor fuku had not faded, since Ranma was unable to release the power of the transformation. "What? Where am I?" Ami asked aloud not expecting an answer, and certainly not one from her own lips. "Looks like Juuban-cho in Minato-ku, but then all the buildings are a bit different than I remember. You're Ami Mizuno then? Is this your body?"

Ami stopped dead in place. She had felt her lips form those words, but they were not hers, and that question, 'Is this your body?' Ami was stunned."What, what did I just say? Did I just ask myself if this was my body?" The street was empty, so no one could hear her talking to herself, that much was going her way, even if nothing else was. Ami felt her hand rise up to scratch the base of her neck and ruthlessly stopped it. "No, I did." the voice responded, her own voice in fact, "Seems I'm stuck in here with you. My name's Ranma Saotome, sorry bout this."

"But, the youma, the transformation? Was it all a dream? Am I going insane?" Ami was certain that she was dreaming, things like this didn't happen in real life did they? Magical girls, evil spirits possessing the bodies of young girls, none of it was real was it?

"Nah, no more insane than my life normally is. I helped the blond chick finish off the youma and left, the armor's still here if that what you meant by a transformation? You one of those magical girl types? I've seen one or two of em before." Ranma grinned as he spoke, this was new, he hadn't been in someone's head before, he wondered which one of his rivals did this to him, maybe it would be a nice vacation, even if the girl was a little scatterbrained.

"Vacation? Wait, Blond? You mean Usagi?" Ami's expression shifted into one of shock, things were utterly bizarre today, and she was talking to herself, she was insane. And what was worse, while insane she was far too impolite in her speech.

"Yeah, I guess, nice girl, said you didn't have to fight if you didn't wanna. And you ain't going insane, no more than normal anyway. This is nothing compared to some of the weird crap in my life." Ranma replied using Ami's mouth.

"You heard that? But I didn't say it aloud... Who were you again?" Ami was rapidly descending into a permanent state of shock. This couldn't be happening. Things like this never happened to smart people did they? She wasn't under enough stress to cause this was she?

"Ranma Saotome, greatest martial artist of my generation. Pleased to meet ya. And I told you, I'm in your head, you heard what I thought earlier, and I heard what you thought. It's interesting enough, I wonder if this is some sorta martial arts technique, what were you doing before you blacked out? Maybe that'll help?"

Ami hesitated for a minute as if trying to remember, "Luna had just given me a bracelet and I said something, and I turned into Sailor Mercury. I'm still Sailor Mercury... I know things now, I know some magical attacks, and how to transform back. Yes, that's it I'll detransform, maybe the crazy voice in my head will go away after I turn back into my civilian form!" With that Ami concentrated and willed her armor away, causing it to shimmer and vanish as it became her school seifuku uniform, her accouterments all vanished as her transformation bracelet appeared on her left wrist, and her hair became the normal shoulder length black hair she was used to instead of the light blue pageboy cut of Sailor Mercury.

"Yes, that's better." Ami said to herself, "No more martial artists in my head now."

"Sorry, bout this, but I'm still here. Maybe we'd better sit down before continuing this? You don't seem to be in the best of shape. Your friend, Usagi was it? She gave you a phone, it's pink, said she'd call you on it if you were needed. Since I agreed to fight."

"You what? Why did you do that?" Ami asked outraged.

"Because it's the right thing to do, it's a martial artist's duty to help defend those that can't defend themselves. Those who have power have the responsibility to use it correctly."

Ami fell silent for a minute as she digested Ranma's words, "And you are a martial artist. Okay. That makes sense. I was going to agree to fight anyway, but I was a bit indisposed. Did you tell Usagi anything else?"

"Nah, just that I was fighting because it was a martial artist's duty to defend the weak. She told me that I didn't need to fight if I didn't want to, and then as I was walking away someone back on that sky bridge tossed the phone at me" Ranma fished his hand into the pocket of Ami's shirt and pulled out the phone, it was a pink flip-top camera phone, the words "Teletia S" were embossed on the inside above the buttons.

"You told her that? But I'm not a martial artist! I can't fight with martial arts! I'm just a junior high school girl!"

"That's simple enough, I'm a martial artist, I can do any martial arts we need, I'll teach you some." Ranma responded jovially.

Ami ignored Ranma, instead going over the rest of his statement "Who was on the sky bridge? Luna? So Usagi really does have a talking cat?"

Ranma froze. "A what?"

"A talking black cat. Usagi said her cat talked, I sort of remember it talking too."

"Look, cats are evil. I can't go near them."

"What? That's silly superstition no one really believes that cats are evil nowadays! Why are you unable to go near cats?"

Ami's shoulders shuddered as Ranma remembered the Neko-Ken training. The young man trapped in her body slowly and haltingly began to speak. "Back when I was about six, my pop decided to teach me an invincible technique called the... the Neko-ken. He would wrap me up in f-fish sausages and throw me into a pit full of st-starving c-cats until I learned it. It worked. Now whenever I'm near a c-cat for too long I become a-a-a one of them. I go insane and start tearing up the surrounding area and attacking people, the only way to snap me out of it is either to trigger my curse or for me to fall asleep."

Ami was horrified, who would do that to a child? The pain in his voice, her own voice was clearly evident. That sort of pain wasn't easily faked. If what Ranma said was true then there was no way that she could be around Luna. She just couldn't risk him going insane and having to wait for him to fall asleep, or triggering his... "Wait, curse? What kind of curse?"

A curse, did he actually have a curse? Was that really any stranger than magical girls, talking cats, and Male martial artists possessing high school girls? But a curse, if he was in her body that might effect her too!

Ranma straightened Ami's shoulders and pushed out her chest almost in a defensive posture, it was strange how Ami could feel her muscles moving and yet not be controlling how they moved. "I fell into a cursed spring at Jyusenkyou, another of pop's dumb ideas. We were training atop these bamboo poles, balance training you know? So I kick him into one of the pools and out jumps a giant panda. I wasn't expecting that, so he knocked me into one of the springs while I was shocked, and when I came out I was a girl. Th guide told us that the curses were reversible 'oh honored customer! You fall into spring of drowned girl! Very tragic story of girl who drowned in spring long time ago, now all who fall in spring take shape of young girl! Cold water change them into girl, Hot water change them back.' That was my curse, don't know if I still have it though. Have to check."

Ami was shocked. "Maybe, maybe we should go home and test it. And after that, I think I need to sleep. Maybe when I wake up this will all have been one horrible dream."

Ranma nodded her head. "Sure, lets go to your house then, it'll be easier to find than mine, more peaceful too. But don't get your hopes up about this being a dream. It feels pretty real to me."

Ami sighed, it felt all too real to her as well.

* * *

"Hello Ami, Welcome home. Oh, and before I forget, happy birthday." On any normal day, Ami Mizuno would be thrilled to find out that her mother had arrived home before her, a mother who was rarely if ever home and even more rarely awake. So it served a bitter irony that today, her birthday was the one day that Ami had hoped that her mother was still at work.

"Thank you mother, how was your day?" Ami responded as quickly as she could, hiding her unease behind her formal language and pro-forma pleasantries. It was her birthday, she had completely forgotten it in all the commotion of the day. Her birthday, and what did she have to show for it?

"My day was rather pleasant Ami. I got Dr. Iwata to cover for me so I could get out early. You didn't think I'd forget your birthday did you?" It was possible of course, Ami thought to herself, Saeko Mizuno had forgotten her daughter's birthday before, just last year in fact. But of course it was hardly polite to say such things aloud. "But enough about me, Ami. Today is about you. How was your day?"

Ami started at the question. What could she possibly say? 'Oh, my day was fine mother, I got a new friend, my world was turned upside down, I was attacked by a demon possessing my teacher, became a magical girl and now I have this guy in my head that won't leave me alone. What's for dinner?'

Now was quite possibly the worst time ever to have a polite conversation with her mother, and worst of all, this was exactly what she had wanted most in the world for her birthday earlier that day. She couldn't tell her mother the truth about what had happened to her, at least, not all of it anyway. So, with the truth an invalid option, Ami prepared to lie to her mother. "My day was sort of strange actually. On one hand, I made a new friend, and we spent some time together after cram school. On the other hand, my CD player was destroyed when I accidentally dropped it off the skybridge outside cram school. So I am a bit upset, but I will get over it."

Ami's mother made sympathetic noises towards her daughter. "That must have been hard on you, I know how much you loved that CD player. Your father sent that to you last year for your birthday didn't he?" Ami nodded solemnly, her father wasn't someone that she'd seen at all in recent years. He was a painter, and would often go to their country house for weeks at a time to paint in seclusion. One day he just never came back. He was still alive, as the single post card and gift he'd send her every birthday could attest to, but Ami had not seen him or even heard his voice in over seven years.

"Yes. That was the one he gave me. But it's okay, it was almost time for me to get a new one anyway. I'll deal with it." The CD player was the least of her worries right now. She could feel Ranma in her head, urging her to go over and hug her mother. He was upset by the overly formal way that they treated each other, and incessantly pointing out that her mother just wanted to spend time with her. Ami tried her best to block him out completely, but it was hard. And it wasn't like she could just tell him to stop. However Ranma had managed to talk to her without moving her lips, Ami had not mastered the same skill.

Ami sighed, as much from Ranma's commentary as the loss of her CD player. "Speaking of father, has his postcard arrived yet?" She asked her mother with hope in her eyes. There was no phone at their country house, and Ami wasn't entirely sure that her father would use it if there was one. For the past few years the only contact she had with her father was the letters that he sent on her birthday. Truth be told, Ami couldn't even remember what her father's voice sounded like, it had been so long since she had spoken to him face to face.

"No, it hasn't Ami. I'm sorry, I know how much you were looking forward to that letter." Ami nodded at her mother. She had expected as much. Her father's letters had been getting briefer and briefer over the past few years. The last letter he had sent was little more than a signed birthday card. She knew that he would stop writing someday. She had just hoped it wouldn't be for a long time. She had made up excuses in her mind over the last letter. But here it seemed was the proof. The letter had never arrived after he birthday. Always either the day of, or the day before.

It could still come tomorrow, Ami knew that. But it was unlikely. Her father was always very punctual. She didn't remember much about him. But that she remembered. Her mother looked at her with sad eyes, trying to empathize with her. Ami, smiled at her, though in her heart she knew that her mother didn't know what she was feeling at all. The point was driven home by Ranma speaking to her inside her head.

"Wow, that really sucks Ami. Not as bad as my Pop, but that still sucks." Ami frowned, making her mother's eyes widen in surprise. Was her daughter upset with her?

"I... I am not really feeling well mother. I am sorry, but, I would like to go to bed now. I have school tomorrow, and I need to think some things over." Ami said to her mother as she turned towards the black iron spiral staircase leading to her room. "Thank you very much for remembering my birthday Mother. It means a lot to me. More than you know right now." And with that Ami Mizuno left the room, climbing up the spiral staircase towards the solitude of her room.

* * *

Ami looked out the windows of her bedroom. The view was spectacular from the second floor of the penthouse apartment she lived in with her mother. The view did not calm her tonight.

Ami was scared, her life had been turned upside down, and there was a voice inside her head that could apparently move her body against her will and knew all sorts of things she didn't. Things she had never even imagined.

She had just turned 14. it wasn't a momentous birthday, but it was hers. It was supposed to be special. Well, this day was special, but not at all in the way she expected.

"Are you okay Ami? You seem upset." The sudden movement of her mouth without her will drove her past self-pity and shock and straight back to irritation. "No Ranma, I am not okay. And you are part of the problem. I am going to go to sleep now, and hopefully when I wake up, this will all have been a dream. There are no such thing as magical girls, no such things as normal junior high girls with martial artists in their heads, and no such thing as Youma. It is all a horrible horrible dream. And if it isn't a dream, well, tomorrow I will be well rested, and I can deal with it then. So Pleasant dreams Ranma. I hope you are not offended when I tell you that as much as I am sure you are a very pleasant person to meet normally, I hope I never have to deal with you again."

Ranma nodded Ami's head for her and spoke aloud through Ami's lips. "I see. I hope I've got my own body back tomorrow too, for what it's worth. It's been great meeting you. We'll deal with this tomorrow then. Happy birthday Ami-chan"

With that Ami pulled the blankets off her bed and tucked herself it. Not even bothering to take off her school uniform. She hoped that tomorrow would prove this whole day to be just a dream. But she feared that it wouldn't be nearly so easy. "Good Night Ranma."


End file.
